Puppet Without Strings
by Gloria Spark
Summary: Anise believes they killed Dist in their last battle at the Tower of Rem and she feels bad because she never truly thanked him for making Tokunaga for her. So she is remembering how she got Tokunaga and talking to Luke about it.


**Puppet Without Strings**

9 year old, Anise was in the cafeteria having just came back from her Order Training, a frown on her lips. She wasn't having an easy time with it, being a Fonist that concentrated on the first fonon darkness, or more specifically Shadow Play Fonic Arte, wasn't easy and being so young didn't help matters.

She glanced around the room seeing a man sitting in a pink throne like chair with gold trim, he had a large pink flower like collar coming from his black suite with white hair that seemed to make his face the pollen center. She noted he also had silver glasses as she walked closer to him. She tilted her head noting that he was all alone as well as she came over to him slowly.

"Hello, may I sit here?" Anise asked softly, the man looked up at her, blinking his white soulless eyes at her before nodding slowly.

"Thanks," Anise said with a smile sitting at the table, realizing now this was Dist the Reaper, one of the five God Generals.

Anise was brought from her day dreams, blinking her brown eyes as she looked up at Luke who was standing above her. She was laying in the grass as Luke asked down at her, "Anise, are you alright? You've seemed out of it since we saw Dist at the Tower of Rem."

Anise sighed, sitting up saying softly, "I'm fine, Luke..."

She was gripping Tokunaga tightly in her arms, glancing over at the red haired replica as he sat beside her in the grass.

"You don't seem fine," Luke said, glancing over into her face knowing he could be dense but this was something he was sure of.

"Luke..." Anise said, looking into the blue sky, her eyes starting to water a bit, "Do you remember when you asked me how Tokunaga worked?"

"Yeah, I do," Luke said, nodding slowly, looking at her with his sapphire blue eyes that reminded Anise of the ocean.

She sighed softly, looking down at Tokunaga saying, "Well Dist made him for me, and I never really got to thank him. Now that he is gone because of us, I don't think I will ever be able to."

"I see, well how does he work?" Luke asked, curious how Dist made it figuring it was a type of Fon Tech now.

"It's a type of Fonic Arte called Shadow Play and a Fon Tech Seal Dist put on him," Anise said, showing Luke the back of Tokunaga, "If I touch the seal it grows and it connected to me, I then can control it with my shadow like it is a puppet on a string. It's strength and defense depends on my own because of that as well, I can also change it's abilities with attachments I add to it. It grows with me because Tokunaga is my shadow in battle."

Luke looked at her confused not truly understanding but then asked, "So the seal is kind of like the seal Jade has on his glasses to enhance his Fonic Artes, then?"

"Yes, but instead of enhancing anything it just allows me to control, grow, and merge it's abilities with my own," Anise said with a smile at Luke, "It follows the rules of the first fonon darkness with the aggregate sentience of Shadow. That is why most of my spells work off it too."

"Well thanks for explaining, Anise," Luke said, rubbing the back of his neck a bit, "I have been curious about it for awhile."

"Your welcome Luke," Anise said, placing a hand over her mouth giggling lightly.

"Luke, come over and help me set up camp," Guy's voice called over to them, making Luke get up.

"Well Anise, I wouldn't worry to much about not saying thank you to Dist," Luke said looking at her a smile on his lips now also, "You know how he keeps coming back, he may not even be dead."

He then walked off as Anise fell back into the grass, laying there whispering, "Yeah your right, Luke..."

She grew a smile thinking of when she got Tokunaga again.

Anise and Dist talked for awhile as they ate with each other in the Order cafeteria every day until one day about two weeks later.

"Dist come on, we have a job," Largo's rough voice called out across the cafeteria toward them, his scythe in hand.

Dist looked back saying, "It's Dist the Rose, Largo."

He then looked at Anise asking, "Well I apparently need to go, but you are a Puppeteer Fonist correct, Anise?"

"Yes, why?" Anise asked, tilting her head to the side, blinking slowly as Dist placed a box on the table.

"Here, this should help you," Dist said before flying off in his chair after Largo.

Anise looked at the box, taking it and slowly opening it. She looked inside, pulling out a bear with a note from Dist explaining it. It also said this was for her being so kind to him. She looked at the bear noting it's large fangs and claws saying, "Your going to be called Tokunaga..."

She looked after where Dist flew off to, picking up Tokunaga, holding it close whispering, "Thank you Dist..."


End file.
